This is excellent and so true. Hope you like it as much as I do. We need to do this with fibro.

Sherrine

The Mayonnaise Jar

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full and they agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students, again, if the jar was full and they agreed that it was.

The professor, next, picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full and the students responded with a unanimous "Yes!"

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things...family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions....things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car."

"The sand is everything else...the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"So, pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical check-ups. Take your partner out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first...the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked! It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Great story. I really enjoyed it. Reminded me actually of something my philosophy teacher from college would've done. He had that similar frame of mind. Thanks for the story.29/fAllergies and Asthma my whole life: BenadrylDepression and PTSD after surgeries and illness of 2003 (turned out to be Crohns)Crohns Dx'd: February 2008: Pentasa, HyoscyamineFibromyalgia Dx'd: July 21, 2009: Lyrica, Cymbalta, Hydrocodone, Prenatal Vitamin